Wrist watch winding device



March 1952 E. w. POLTROCK WRIST WATCH WINDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 20, 1950INVENTOR Edward W- Fm ltrnck,

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES :PATENT OFFICE WRIST WATCHWINDING DEVICE Edward W. Poltrock, Chicago, Ill.

ApplicationDecember 20, 1950, Serial No. 201,819

3 Claims.

1 This invention relates to a wrist watch windin device and has for anobject to provide an improved device especially useful in winding asmall wrist watch, particularly that type of small wrist watch whosewinding crown is so small that it is very difiicult to grasp it betweenones fingers.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved wristwatch'winding device which has a winding member which may be temporarilyattached to the winding crown of a wrist watch in proper axial alignmenttherewith, whereby the winding crown of the wrist watch may be properlywound to the proper tension, and then the device may be easily detachedtherefrom.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wrist watch windingdevice accessory of a neat appearance and small size so that it may bekept in a jewel case or other convenient storage space, whereverthewrist watch may be normally stored, as at night, so that it may behandy for quick attachment to the wrist watch for winding it at theusual desired winding time once every twenty-four hours and thendetached therefrom and left stored until the next occasion for usetwenty four hours later.

This application is a continuation in part of application Serial No.140,135 filed January 23,

1950, for Device for Winding Wrist Watches,

now abandoned.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention comprisesthe combination, constructions and arrangement of parts hereinafter setforth, claimed and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the wrist watch winding device of thisinvention in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken horizontally through Fig. 1, butshowing the winding shaft in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3. of Fig. 2, showing the windingshaft partly in section; Fig. 4 is .a. sectional view on line 4-4 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged bowl fragment showing the longitudinal ribs.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6 -6 of Fig. 2.

Small wrist watches, particularly of the type used by women, are oftenvery difiicult to wind properly due to the extremely small winding crownattached to the minute winding stem of the wrist watch. As a result, inattempting to wind the winding crown, it is often diflicult to grasp itwith ones fingers due to its smallness and due to its extreme proximityto the side of vention is a very useful accessory for winding a smallwrist watch, such as shown at H. The winding device it includes asomewhat elongated yoke 12 which may be provided with a very finefinish, such as gold plate or other suitable finish. The bight it of theyoke 12 is provided with an axially extending shaftway l4 through whichis journalled the shank 'I 5 of a partially threaded shaft IS, theshaftway l4 and shank [5 being of somewhat reduced diameter compared tothe main portion of the threaded shaft I6. A knurled handle H is wedgedor otherwise secured to the end of the shank 15 at I!) on the outside ofthe bight l3 of the yoke l2, thereby securing the threaded shaft I 6 forrotation through the bight of the yoke I2.

The other end of the threaded shaft H5 is left unthreaded and instead isdivided into four somewhat spaced-apart segments 18, each segment I8terminating in a bowl segment 20 which flares outwardly on its outersurface and is provided with four fine longitudinally extending ribs 29and also is recessed at 2] on its inner surface. When the bowl segments18 are released after being pressed toward each other, they willnormally tend to return to their spaced-apart position.

Threaded about the threaded shaft [6 before its shank I5 is assembledthrough'the yoke bight [-3 is an internally threaded sleeve 22, which isexternally knurled at 23. However, the internal threads of sleeve 22extend only about as far as the external threads on shaft t6, and theinterior surface of the sleeve 22 is left smooth, and

unthreaded at its opposite end 24 where such end 24 abuts against theouter surface of the flared bowl segments 20.

As will be apparent, rotation of the knurled sleeve 23 on shaft IB whileholding the shaft IB against rotation by means of the knurled handle I?will cause the .sleeve 22 to ride over the flared outer surface of bowlsegments 20 and press them together when rotated in one direction, andwill move away from such bowl segments 20 when rotated in the otherdirection, permitting their inherent resiliency to restore them to thespacedapart position.

The size of the inside recessed surfaces 2| of bowl segments 20 is suchthat the diameter of the bowl provided thereby is greater than thediameter of a wrist watch winding crown when the bowl segments 20 are intheir released spacedapart position, and of a slightly smaller diameterthan the wrist watch winding crown when the bowl segments 20 are pressedinto tight contact with each other by winding the sleeve 22 fullythereover.

Hence, to attach the shaft to the winding crown 25 of the wrist watchII, a watch supporting plate 26 is provided, having a pair of slidingfingers 21 at one end thereof intended to slidably embrace the sides ofthe yoke l2, while at the other end there is a slightly stepped upportion 28 on which the wrist watch I I will be supported for properlyaxially aligning the center of the winding crown stem of the wrist watchwith the center of the shaft I6.

In operation, the watch II is placed on the plate portion 28 while thesleeve 22 is out of contact with the bowl segments 20, and the bowlsegments 20 are then placed about the wrist watch crown 25 to embracethe same. Then, while holding the knurled handle ll with the fingers ofone hand, the sleeve 22 is rotated by means of its knurled surface 23 toclamp the bowl segments 20 about the crown of the wrist watch. As soonas it is suificiently clamped, the grip on the handle I! is released andcontinued rotation of the sleeve 23 will thus rotate the crown of thewrist watch and wind the watch. This is continued until the watch isfelt to be fully wound, which will be readily apparent to the fingersrotating the same. Then, with the watch fully wound, the sleeve 22 isrotated in the opposite direction while holding the knurled handle ll,thus releasing the pressure on the bowl segments 20 and unclamping thesame from the wrist watch crown, whereupon the watch may be removedtherefrom and worn.

While the device has been shown and the structure described in detail,it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as beinglimited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail andconstruction may be made therein within the scope of what is claimed,without departing from the spirit of this invention.

. Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, whatis claimed is:

l. A wrist watch winding device comprising a yoke, a shaft journaledthrough the bight of said yoke, knurled handle means secured on saidshaft externally of said yoke, said shaft extending axially of saidyoke, said shaft having a threaded portion within said yoke at saidbight end thereof, the other end of said shaft beyond said threadedportion being divided into a plurality of spaced-apart resilientsegmental portions, said segmental portions terminating in outwardlyflaring internally recessed bowl portions of a size to fit over andclamp about the crown of a wrist watch to be wound, and means for movingsaid bowl segment portions to clamping position and for rotating thesame when in clamped position, said means comprising an externallyknurled sleeve within said yoke about said shaft, said sleeve having aninternal thread complementary to the thread on said shaft, and anunthreaded portion within said sleeve at the other end thereof engagingsaid outwardly flaring surfaces of said bowl segments to move said bowlsegments to clamping position when said sleeve is rotated on said shaft.

2. A wrist watch winding device comprising a yoke, a shaft journaledthrough the bight of said yoke, knurled handle means secured on saidshaft externally of said yoke, said shaft extending axially of saidyoke, said shaft having a threaded portion within said yoke at saidbight end thereof, the other end of said shaft beyond said threadedportion being divided into a plurality of spaced-apart resilientsegmental portions, said segmental portions terminating in outwardlyflaring internally recessed bowl portions of a size to fit over andclamp about the crown of a wrist watch to be wound, and a'partiallyinternally threaded sleeve on said threaded shaft portion having anunthreaded end engaging said outwardly flaring bowl segment portions formoving said bowl segment portions to clamping position and for rotatingthe same when in clamped position, and means mounted on said yoke fordetachably supporting said wrist watch winding device in axial alignmentwith the wrist watch crown.

3. A wrist watch winding device comprising a U-shaped yoke, a shaftjournaled through the bight of said yoke, knurled handle means securedon said shaft externally of said yoke, said shaft extending axially ofsaid yoke, said shaft having a threaded portion within said yoke at saidbight end thereof, the other end of said shaft beyond said threadedportion being divided into a plurality of spaced-apart resilientsegmental portions, said segmental portions terminating in outwardlyflaring internally recessed bowl portions of a size to fit over andclamp about the crown of a wrist watch to be wound, and a partiallyinternally threaded sleeve on said threaded shaft portion having anunthreaded end engaging said outwardly flaring bowl segment portions formoving said bowl segment portions to clamping position and for rotatingthe same when in clamped position, and means mounted on said yoke fordetachably supporting said wrist watch winding device in axial alignmentwith the wrist watch crown, said latter means comprising a plate havingoppositely disposed inturned fingers thereon at one end thereof slidablyembracing the sides of said yoke. said plate being adapted to supportthe wrist watch thereon with its crown in axial alignment with the axisof said clamping bowl and winding shaft.

EDWARD W. POLTROCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 832,810 Richardson Oct. 9, 1906961,203 Batchelor' June 14, 1910 1,232,735 Torvik July 10, 19171,264,082 Jones Apr. 23, 1918 1,294,552v Smith Feb. 18, 1919

